Bumblebees serve as major pollinators in both agricultural and natural systems. Despite their significance in these areas little is known about their ecology or nesting habits. Understanding the nesting density and foraging range can be important to establishing successful management schemes in both agricultural and natural lands. To estimate foraging range and nest density Bombus vosnesenskii workers were sampled along a 2 km transect through a primarily homogeneous, disturbed habitat every 250m.
Seven polymorphic microsatellite markers were used to identify sisters and establish a coefficient of relatedness across the landscape. The results suggest that there is a significant amount of interbreeding throughout the county and that Bombus vosnesenskii nest at densities larger than originally suspected.
